'Cuts to baby bonus should go further to save taxpayers'

THE Federal Government has been urged to go further with its cut to the baby bonus by a party pushing for a limit on future population increases.

The federally registered Stable Population Party said it welcomed Labor's reductions in the baby bonus from $5,000 to $3,000 for second and subsequent children, saving the nation $500 million per year.

Treasurer Wayne Swan announced the plan today, as well as changes which will force companies to pay their tax monthly rather than quarterly.

The community party is campaigning to stabilise Australia's population as soon as practicably possible, aiming for a population of around 23-26 million through to 2050, as well as providing leadership and support to other nations to help stabilise global population via a 'domino effect'.

"We live in a finite world and can't grow forever. The sooner we adjust to a stable population, the easier it will be to manage growing scarcity of finite, non-renewable resources.

"Quality of life and intergenerational equity through the sustainable use of energy, food and water resources is our priority," said William Bourke, founder and president of the party.

"We agree with a reduction in baby bonus payments, but propose governments take this budget and finite resource-saving measure further.

"We advocate a broader strategy to encourage 'replacement-size' families: Limit both the baby bonus and paid parental leave to each woman's first two children.

"This law would apply only to births occurring more than nine months after it was passed.

"This policy would send out a much needed message that 'replacement-size' families are in the best interests of society as a whole in Australia, where continuing population growth is contributing to increasing housing shortages and planning pressures, traffic and transport congestion, energy and water security issues and unwanted carbon emissions.

"Importantly, our community party supports families and freedom of choice on family size, but not governments providing financial incentives to have large families.

"A stable population will ease cost of living pressures on families, including housing, water prices, energy prices and road tolls that are all driven up by population growth.

"Limiting these payments to each woman's first two children would also mean that the majority of people with two or fewer children would not be subsidising those who choose to have larger families.

"It would conservatively save over $2 billion in direct costs to taxpayers every year, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure for each new person.